CoD: Elite 'breaks bad assumptions' about online shooter communities

Call of Duty: Elite will help to dispel a lot of the negative perceptions about online shooter communities, according to Activision digital vice president Jamie Berger.
http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideo...mb_wide300.jpgHe told Gamasutra the service enables users to find other gamers to play with not by anonymous metrics but through any common interest that they may choose, thereby delivering a deep level of social interaction that promotes respect between players.

Online shooter communities are often depicted as hate-filled environments that are unwelcoming to new players and minority groups, but Berger said the Elite community has been highly collaborative during the beta.

"One of the most interesting things to me is how positive people are in the service. I'm most excited that within it, people are being supportive; they're actually talking to each other, and amongst each other.

"They're so happy to actually have a place to be part of a community, not a message board... they're actually behaving very much like people who just want to be social and have fun, not people who want to flame each other.

"It creates a social contract," he added: "How can we start behaving as if we live in a neighbourhood? You try to treat your neighbours with respect. When you create a true community, that, to me, is the difference between 'social gaming' and a community.

"It starts breaking a lot of the bad assumptions about what a shooter is. It breaks down those anonymous walls and turns it into something where you start knowing each other."

Activision said at the weekend that an annual subscription to Elite will cost £34.99/$49.99.http://www.computerandvideogames.com/318157/cod-elite-breaks-bad-assumptions-about-online-shooter-communities/